The Hive Mind
The Hive Mind is arguably the main antagonist of Dead Space. It was the result of testing the experimental Red Marker that had been reverse-engineered from the Black Marker for military purposes over two centuries ago on the remote planet of Aegis 7, then suppressed by the Marker as further experiments were aborted, the Marker proving itself to be too dangerous to wield as a weapon. A tower-like being that is the source of the Necromorph outbreak on Aegis 7 and, subsequently, the USG Ishimura, this monstrosity telepathically controls all other Necromorphs. The Hive Mind is capable of utilizing its immense tentacles that run along its massive body to crush its enemies. The organs lining its mouth and behind its ribs are vital to the Hive Mind's survival. Initially seen on a blurred video shown by Dr. Kyne and worshiped as a divine being by the insane Doctor Challus Mercer, the Hive Mind is fought in the final level of Dead Space and is found on Aegis 7. Dead Space: Chapter 12: Dead Space Its appearance is that of a titanic, segmented worm-like monster. It was seen briefly writhing at the edge of the platform where the Red Marker's pedestal lay, screaming and commanding all Necromorphs within the vicinity to impede Isaac from reattaching the Marker to its pedestal. They fail, and the Hive Mind is briefly rendered dormant by the reactivated Marker until Kendra Daniels removes the Marker and takes it back to the shuttle. After reawakening, the Hive Mind becomes aggressive and attacks Isaac and the escaping Kendra as they make it into the shuttle bay. After killing Kendra, it curls tentacles around Isaac, forming an inescapable enclosure. The Hive Mind then rears up and attacks Isaac, initiating the boss fight. The Hive Mind makes a brief, but impacting appearance in Dead Space: Extraction. After making their way through the Megavents, the newly assembled group proceeds to fight their way to the last remaining shuttle on the colony.Dead Space: Extraction: Chapter 3: Return To The Megavents Just as the "firefight" seems to have subsided, a large tentacle bursts through the flight deck, the camera panning up as it towers overhead and slams down near the group. Gabe Weller does his best to repel the Hive Mind as Nathan McNeill fights his way through another wave of Necromorphs, frantically trying to open the shuttle doors. The full scope of the Hive Mind is seen as it tries to swat the shuttle out of the sky after launch. Strategy The battle with the Hive Mind takes place in several stages: *One of the Hive Mind's most common methods of attacking involves smashing you with its two tentacles, one at a time. This is easy to pre-empt, as the hive mind sways backwards and coils a tentacle. Watch out for this action. *Even if you can dodge the tentacle slams; be wary of any explosive canisters the tentacle hits, whose explosion can injure Isaac if he's close by. It would be a good idea to detonate the canisters before entering the boss-area, unless you intend to use them as weapons by throwing them with Kinesis. *If you intend to throw the explosive canisters using Kinesis, aim high, as the Hive Mind is far enough away that the canisters will simply fall short if they are shot directly at the target. *In the first phase of the battle, the Hive Mind will roar at Isaac as it smashes a tentacle down on him. Use these opportunities to aim, shoot and destroy three of its five mouth-organs to begin the next stage of the battle. *It is possible to weaken all 5 pustules around it's mouth before even destroying one, in preparation of the second phase of the battle (hanging upside down). It is suggested to test how many shots a single pustule will take before exploding before weakening the others, as the amount changes based on difficulty. The pustule will sag and turn brown with blood oozing from it when it is about to be destroyed. It is a good idea to destroy the pustules on the right side first, as they are very difficult to shoot while in midair. The remaining sacs on the left side, however, are much easier targets.) *After three pustules lining the mouth have been destroyed it will drag you up in the air in an attempt to devour you. While in the air, the best bet is to use the Plasma Cutter or Pulse Rifle for accuracy, aiming and range while shooting its two remaining weak points. Temporarily reversing the X-axis and Y-axis alignment to your controls can also be an effective method to improve your aim during this phase. When the last two organs are destroyed it will release you, beginning the final battle phase. *At this point there are 5 explosive sacks in the middle of its chest which are now occasionally exposed. Beware of the Pregnants and explosive sacs it now spits out at Isaac along with the Tentacle slams. Destroy all five explosive sacs and the Hive Mind is defeated. * To avoid the tentacles, move back and forth to the far sides of the screen. The left tentacle always falls first, so quickly move to the far right side, then quickly to the left as the right one prepares to fall. *A well aimed mine from the Line Gun or the Force Gun will sometimes destroy more than 1 sac in its chest, making it easier and faster to kill it. (Note that if the mine destroys all but 1 sac, you cannot use another mine to destroy the last one. Use the primary fire instead, or switch to a more precise weapon.) *Do note, however, while it's swaying in the midst of its death throes, do not stand near the edge of the platform because it falls onto that particular platform edge and you could be crushed. *While the Hive Mind is a considerably easy boss, it's tactic is to intimidate the player and make them feel scared, weak, and small compared to the hulking Necromorph in front of them. Keep your cool, don't panic, and you should be able to beat him just fine. *Don't be afraid to pause the game. When the Hive Mind leans down and roars at you, use this time to pause the game and pick out which pustules you're going to destroy first. You can also pause if you start to feel overwhelmed or panicky. Trivia *It's possible that the Slug, Spider, Urchin, and Leviathan are offshoots of the Hive Mind. *The Hive Mind is, or can be, one of the easier bosses in the game, especially on impossible mode when compared to creatures like the advanced Brute, or even a Slasher if Isaac is taken by surprise; the reason for this being that where all other creatures will relentlessly attack you, the Hive Mind will simply smack you with its tentacles, two at a time. Although these do massive damage, they are extremely easy to dodge, and the only real hard part is the sequence where Isaac is grabbed by the ankle. Even this sequence can be made easier if you destroy the right sacs (see the strategy section). *The Hive Mind is the largest Necromorph in the game. *Details about the Hive Mind from several logs suggest the Hive Mind commands the Necromorphs telepathically. *A Hive Mind Tentacle appears in Dead Space Extraction, while you are heading to a shuttle to get off the surface of Aegis 7. It kills two fellow marines, and attacks the group you are in. You do not fight it however as it is merely part of a cutscene. *When the Hive Mind throws Necromorphs from its body at Isaac, they are only Pregnants, suggesting it is giving birth. *If you kill it quickly enough the Hive Mind won't spawn any Pregnants *After defeating the Hive Mind, look at the bottom of the crater: you will see tentacles appearing occasionally making a horizontal swipe; then disappearing. *The achievement "Mindless Prey" plays on the pun that the player killed 'The Mind'. *The Marker may play a maternal role to the Hive Mind explaining the "Make us Whole Again" phrase and the extreme aggressiveness of all Necromorphs. *If Isaac stands too close to the tentacle that forms the ring and the Hive Mind falls on him during its death sequence he may be knocked into the tentacle and be trapped inside it. Interestingly enough it is possible to rub along the path of the tentacle but not leave it. The only ways to escape if this happens is to commit suicide(which results in the game spawning you outside of the tentacle with the Hive Mind dead) or restart. *The Hive Mind is the only Advanced Necromorph form to canonically kill another character, Kendra Daniels. *In the new graphic novel Dead Space: Salvage, the Hive Mind is seen on the Ishimura while Stefan Schneider is crossing across the outside of the ship. Possibly this Hive Mind was formed while the Ishimura was drifting around in space, since the old one was pulverized on Aegis 7's colony with the Marker. Death Scene If Isaac should fail to destroy the remaining two pustules on the Hive Mind's head when grabbed, a scripted death scene follows. It will force Isaac into its mouth, chew on him for a bit, then pull him out violently, ripping off both his arms. The Hive Mind then grips Isaac between its teeth, then tears him in half at the waist. It swallows Isaac's upper torso and throws his legs to the platform. thumb|300px|left|Hive Mind -- Death Sequence 1 thumb|300px|right|Hive Mind -- Death Sequence 2 Gallery Image:Hive_mind_stage_1.JPG|Stage 1 Image:Hive_mind_stage_2.JPG|Stage 2 Image:Hive_mind_stage_3.JPG|Stage 3 Extraction hive mind.jpg|Hive Mind appearance in Dead Space: Extraction. Appearances *Dead Space :*''Chapter 10: End of Days'' :*''Chapter 12: Dead Space'' *Dead Space: Extraction :*''Chapter 3: Return To The Megavents'' Sources See Also Hive Mind